Dt Swiss Inc.

Inventus Engineering Gmbh

Thyssenkrupp Presta Ag

Dt Swiss Ag

Gernot Elsensohn

Stefan Battlogg

Martin Walthert

Juergen Poesel

Jürgen Pösel

Valentin Wendel

Helmut Kirmsze

Martin Walhert

Markus Mayer

Jürgen Pösel Poesel

A valve device, a damper with a valve device, and a method for operating the same are described. The valve device is formed with a flow channel through which a magnetorheological medium flows. A magnetic circuit device provides a magnetic field in the flow channel. The magnetic circuit device includes a hard magnetic magnet component and at least one electrical coil that can be controlled by a control device. The magnetic circuit device has two segments, which differ in the dynamic magnetic properties thereof. Thus, by way of a magnetic pulse that can be output by the electrical coil, a specific inhomogeneity of the magnetic field in the flow channel can be set and can be stored in the hard magnetic magnet component.

Valve device and method

A chassis controller and method for controlling the damping of a human-powered two-wheeled vehicle having a controllable shock absorber and a control device and a memory device. A sensor device acquires measurement data sets relating to a relative movement of two connecting units of the shock absorber with respect to one another. A filter device pre-processes the measurement data sets. Multiple data sets are stored in the memory device. A data set, derived from a measurement data set acquired with the sensor device during the relative movement of the connecting units is stored and an analysis device analyzes a stored data set. A filter parameter set is determined based on the analysis, and a control data set is derived with the filter parameter set. The control device controls the shock absorber with the control data set.

Suspension control for a human-powered two-wheeled vehicle and method

A suspension control system and a method for controlling a damper device of a bicycle include a damper device and a spring device for sprung damping of a relative motion between a first and a second component of the bicycle. The suspension device has a spring unit exhibiting a spring characteristic, and the damper device exhibits a damping characteristic. The spring characteristic of the spring unit is changed under the control of an electrically operated actuator, which in turn is controlled via an electric control device.

Suspension control system for a bicycle, bicycle, and suspension control method

A transmission apparatus has two components that move in translation relative to one another and a coupling gap between the components containing a magnetorheological medium. The gap is formed and sealed outwardly at first and second ends so that the magnetorheological medium remains in the coupling gap as a sort of controllable friction lining, irrespective of a coupling between the components, in accordance with the magnetic field applied in the coupling gap. One of the components has plurality of radially extending arms that carry a magnetic field generation device. Each magnetic field generation device has an electric coil with a least one winding extends completely beside the central axis and at a distance therefrom. Different poles of the magnetic field generation devices are provided at the adjacent ends of adjacent arms of a component. The coupling gap is connected to a reservoir of magnetorheological medium.

Magnetorheological transmission apparatus

A chassis controller controls a shock absorber of a bicycle for spring-assisted damping of a relative movement between a first and a second connecting unit. A damper device and a spring device absorb shocks between the connecting units. A sensor device acquires measurement data relating to a relative movement of the connecting units. A control device controls the shock absorber. The sensor device has a scaling device connected to one of the connecting units and the sensor device extends over a measuring section in a direction of movement of the relative movement. The scaling device has a structure with magnetic properties that repeat periodically over the measuring section. The sensor device has a detector head which interacts with the scaling device, is connected to the other of the connecting units and determines a position of the shock absorber.

Chassis controller for a human-powered two-wheeled vehicle

Shock absorber and method for operating a shock absorber for a bicycle wherein a relative motion of a first and a second component interconnected via a damper device is dampened. The damper device includes a controllable damping valve with a field generating device with which a field-sensitive medium can be influenced for influencing a damping force of the damper device by applying a field intensity of the field generating device. A parameter for the current relative speeds of the first and second components is obtained in real time. For damping, a current field intensity to be set is derived in real time by way of the parameter from a characteristic damper curve and the field intensity to be currently set is generated by the field generating device in real time for setting in real time a damping force which results from the predetermined characteristic damper curve at the parameter obtained.

Shock absorber and method for operating a shock absorber in particular for a bicycle

In a movement damping apparatus, a magnetorheological fluid is pressed through a flow path. A device generating a variable magnetic field comprises a core around which a coil is wound as well as pole surfaces in the flow path, the magnetic field acting on the magnetorheological fluid by way of said pole surfaces. The coil is arranged within the flow path along with the core, the axis of the coil extending perpendicular to the direction of flow of the magnetorheological fluid. The flow path has a jacket made of a magnetically conducting material.

Movement damping apparatus and valve

Closed-loop control of an energy absorber acting as a damper between two parts that are movable relative to one another. A damping force of the energy absorber, or damper, can be adjusted by way of the change in the viscosity of a magnetorheological fluid (MRF), which change can be influenced by a magnetic field of a coil. According to the method it is possible to decelerate an impact or a movement with the lowest possible forces in order to minimize possible consequential damage/loading by way of setting as constant a deceleration as possible, as small a deceleration as possible, by way of using the entire available deceleration travel, and low or zero residual speed at the end of the deceleration travel independently of the moving mass or speed.

Closed-loop control method for an energy absorber

Shock absorber and method for operating a shock absorber for a bicycle wherein a relative motion of a first and a second component interconnected via a damper device is dampened. The damper device includes a controllable damping valve having at least one field generating device with which a field-sensitive medium can be influenced by applying a field intensity of the field generating device. A parameter for the current speeds of the first and second components relative to one another is obtained in real time. For damping, a current field intensity to be set is derived in real time by way of the parameter from a characteristic damper curve and by the field generating device the field intensity to be currently set is generated in real time for setting in real time a damping force which results from the predetermined characteristic damper curve at the parameter obtained.

A valve device is formed with a through-channel and a field generating device. A fluid which can be influenced by a field is provided in the through-channel and the field generating device is configured to act on the field-influenced fluid in the through-channel by way of a field. At least one adjustment device is provided with which the field that is active in the through-channel can be adjusted. A portion of the cross-sectional area of the through-channel can be adjusted, the portion being exposed to a field of a specific intensity so that the through-channel can also only partly be exposed to a field of a specific intensity. Thus, the through-channel, as seen in the direction of the flow, can be divided into regions of different flow resistance, whereby characteristic curves, which were previously attained only with difficulty, are easily obtained when using the valve device in a damper, for example.

Adjustable valve with a transition region

A valve for a magnetorheological fluid is formed with a duct through which the magnetorheological fluid can flow and which can be exposed to a variable magnetic field such that the flow resistance of the duct can be set using the magnetic field in the duct. The magnetic field can be lastingly generated using a magnet device that is made at least in part of magnetically hard material. The magnetization of the magnet device can be lastingly modified by a magnetic pulse of a magnetic field generation device in order to lastingly change the magnetic field in the duct and thus the flow resistance of the duct. A valve of the invention requires energy only to change settings while a specific setting can be lastingly maintained without supplying energy.

Valve for a magnetorheological liquid

A shock absorber for a bicycle has a damper device with first and second damper chambers. The damper chambers are connected by way of a controllable throttle valve. A changeable electronic unit has a control device for controlling the electrically controllable throttle valve. The control device thereby influences the damper characteristics.

Shock absorber for a bicycle

A suspension system and a method for controlling a suspension system for a muscle-powered two-wheeled vehicle having a damper device with a first damper chamber and a second damper chamber coupled with one another via a controllable damping valve. A sensor is provided for capturing data about a current operational state. An electric control device and a data storage device for controlling the damper device are provided, such that at least one damping characteristic of the damper device can be influenced by a signal from the control device. The control device is configured and organized to provide a teaching mode in which route-related data are stored in the memory. The control device is furthermore configured and organized to provide a repeat mode in which the damper device is controlled according to the route-related data stored in the memory device.

Suspension system for a bicycle and method of controlling a suspension system

A shock absorber for a bicycle or another, at least partly muscle-powered, vehicle has a damper device with a damper housing in which a first and a second damper chamber are separated from one another via at least one damper piston. A piston rod connected with the damper piston extends from the damper piston through the second damper chamber out of the damper housing. The first damper chamber is in communication with the second damper chamber via a flow duct that leads through the piston rod out of the damper housing toward at least one throttling device. The flow duct, at the throttling device, has a damping duct provided with a field-sensitive rheological fluid which, by way of a field generating device disposed at the throttling device, can be exposed to a field of a predetermined strength to influence the pass-through flow of the field-sensitive rheological fluid through the throttling device.

A valve is particularly suited for a movement damping apparatus. The valve has a field-generating device, such as a magnet unit, and a fluid that is subjected to the field, such as a magnetorheological fluid, is pressed through a flow path forming a bottleneck. At the bottleneck the fluid is subject to the field and it changes its flow characteristics in response to the field. The flow path is divided into at least two flow tracks by a partition that forms one or more additional friction surfaces.

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St. Anton I.M., Austria

Gernot Elsensohn